Narragansett Bay, Mashapaug Pond…these local New England waterways recall engineering reclamation projects, summer recreation and a particular kind of environmental thought around water. But they have another history, too, one in which is folded the lives and knowledge of the First Peoples of the region, of the Eastern Woodland nations, who have a deep connection with both the land and water. Beginning with a short introduction tracing some considerations about Narragansett Bay in the literature of colonial science and settler histories, this talk will recount historic and contemporary uses of fresh water and the ocean bays, aesthetic and spiritual meanings of those waters, and the impacts of colonization, industrialization and urbanization on all these, through indigenous eyes. The journey will take us from Providence…to Bermuda, and back.

please join us for the last talk event in the 2014-2015 STS lecture series